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Supervising Social Worker

Therapeutic Fostering Agency – providing therapeutic foster care to children and young people

Home based role – covering Bath, Bristol, Taunton area (monthly team meetings in Reading)

You will work closely with key internal and external stakeholders, to enable foster parents to be informed, accept, understand and operate within the regulations and national minimum standards and in accordance with policies and guidance.

You will be responsible for managing a caseload of 7 foster carers, with this growing to 10-12 over the months. There is a dedicated out of hours team, so there is no requirements to participate in the out of hours rota.

Crucial to successful outcomes for children are positive working relationships between all the professionals around the child. The Supervising Social Worker’s role is a combination of monitoring and safeguarding on behalf of the children as well as supervising and supporting foster parents in their role.

An innovative, dynamic, independent fostering organisation providing high-quality foster care and services to children and their foster families. We aim to create an environment where all people feel valued and can grow, develop and achieve their goals.

Role Responsibilities

To be responsible for supervising and supporting foster parents and promoting the rights and safety of children placed with foster parents and managing cases.

To ensure children’s wishes are sought regularly and acted upon by themselves and the foster parent.

Work as part of a multi-disciplinary professional team around the child, this will include attending meetings, completing reports and preparing assessments.

Partnering with key stakeholders to ensure foster parents work within the delegated authority and medical consent given.

Provide effective support, information and advice to enable foster parents to provide consistent, high-quality care to children.

To ensure matches of children’s place are made on defendable decisions.

Supporting foster parents with children’s achievements in education, learning and development whilst promoting equality and diversity.

To undertake and produce high-quality assessments and reports.

To work in line with our policies and procedures, adhering to reporting and recording requirements.

Maintain professional registration with the regulatory social work body and ensure that you take personal responsibility for your own professional development.

Prepare for and engage in regular supervision with the line manager.

Role Objective

* Ensure all children have a completed safety plan. All safety plans are to be effective, proportionate and relevant to foster parents’ practice.

* To carry out a minimum of once monthly home visit and weekly telephone calls or more frequently as required.

* Enable foster parents to support children’s family time and appropriate relationships, in line with the child plan.

* Each foster parent to have a suitable Personal Professional Development Plan and to have completed their TSD within appropriate timescale.

* Ensure all safety, medical and home checks are suitably assessed and resolved as necessary.

* To conduct as required, initial visits to and assessments of prospective foster parents.

* Facilitate training, including Skills to Foster training (as required).

General Responsibilities

* To always uphold and embody our values, ensuring the protection of children is paramount.

* To adhere to responsibilities under data protection, health and safety legislation and policies.

* To demonstrate a positive commitment to equalities and diversity.

* To undertake such other duties as may be reasonably expected or commensurate with your role.

* This job description is subject to change as the role evolves.

Person Specification

* Qualified and registered Social Worker

* Knowledge and awareness of Ofsted regulations and safeguarding

* Experience of working in fostering or therapeutic childcare environment

* Excellent communication skills (verbal and written)

* Emotionally intelligent and good intuition

* Self-motivated and works with a professional and positive demeanour

* Ability to organise and prioritise work, efficiently and effectively

* IT literate (specifically Word, Excel, Outlook)

* Database systems experience – advantageous

Benefits Package

* Medical Insurance

* Pension contribution

* 30 days holidays + bank holidays

* Lighthouse Membership

* Provided with a laptop and phone